Duct Tape Pieces
by Seito
Summary: Kamen Rider W/Shinkenger. Before Hidari Shoutarou existed, he was Ikenami Shoutarou. Shoutarou purposely teared apart his life and is now finding that piecing it together and keeping it that way is alot harder then it seems. Duct Tape only holds onto so much. R&R
1. 5 Things Shoutarou Ran Away From and 1

**Duct Tape Pieces  
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**Crossover:** Kamen Rider W/ Samurai Sentai Shinkenger  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Before Hidari Shoutarou existed, he was Ikenami Shoutarou. Shoutarou purposely teared apart his life and is now finding that piecing it together and keeping it that way is alot harder then it seems. Duct Tape only holds onto so much.

**Author's Note:**Basically Shoutarou and Ryuunosuke have more in common then they don't. This led to the plunny that they were brothers.

Timeline goes KRW starts before SSS. To break it down:

_Year 0:_ Begins Night happens.

_Year 1 Fall:_ KRW starts (Year ends with episode 12-13 and the Begin Night Movie)

_Year 2 Spring:_ SSS starts. _Year 2 Summer/Fall:_ KRW ends. (Year 2 ends with SSS episode 44)

_Year 3 Spring:_ SSS ends. _Year 3 Summer/Fall:_ KRW epilogue.

**Currently there are little to no spoilers for both series but as the story progress there major spoilers for endings of both especially in reference to SSS episode 44/45 and KRW 48/49.**

Please continue at your own risk.

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><p><em>Five Things Shoutarou Ran Away From and The One Thing He Didn't<em>

He ran away as fast as he could from the things that use to define him so well.

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><p><strong>5. Samurai Family<strong>

The day Shoutarou arrived in Fuuto was also the day he met Narumi Sokichi. He had just finished middle school and decided he couldn't stay at home anymore. Since he wasn't the eldest son, there was nothing he would inherit anyways from his very traditional family. Shoutarou didn't want stay in a confided cage where he would be no help anyways. Whoever decided that only Shinkengers could fight Gedoushu was clearly a stick in the mud.

So a few random train rides and losing a few very concerned kuroko, Shoutarou had wandered into Fuuto City. Not even five minutes walking around in city before he got stopped by a policeman. "Hey you! You should be in school!"

Shoutarou's eyes widened and he took off running. "Hey! Come back!" the policeman shouted.

Turning a corner, Shoutarou shouted the first thing that came to mind. "Ah! UFO!" he shouted, pointing to the sky.

To his surprised, the policeman actually stopped and looked up. "Where?"

Not stopping to question it, Shoutarou took off. He had just jumped over a wall, turned the corner and ran straight into man wearing a white suit. Shoutarou gave a hasty apology and started to run past but the man grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Hold it, boy. Why are you running?"

A stern look, mouth drawn in a firm line, eyes hard looking. Shoutarou knew the look on the man's face. It was all too similar to his father. There was no getting out this conversation. With a heavy sigh, he told the man, Narumi Sokichi as he introduced himself, his story.

Sokichi hadn't been happy that Shoutarou had run away from home at such a young age, but nevertheless he grudgingly agreed to let Shoutarou stay in his office. It was better than having Shoutarou wander around the streets of Fuuto. Eventually he managed to weasel out of Shoutarou the information about his family. Shoutarou fought tooth and nail to make sure Sokichi didn't inform his family where he was. He was convinced that they would drag him home right away.

Shoutarou didn't want to return home. He would much rather stay in Fuuto with Sokichi where he isn't expected to follow the samurai code or forced into sword training and mojikara practice every day. It's selfish of him but living here is like a dream that Shoutarou stubbornly doesn't want to wake up from. Sokichi and his hardboiled western detective lifestyle was the furthest thing from being a samurai and it was something that Shoutarou desperately wanted.

"Idiot!" Sokichi smacked him on the head. "Every parent deserves to know if their child is safe." Then his normally harden features seemed to soften. "I will work it out with your family. You don't have to return if you don't want to but they at least deserve to know that you are safe."

Shoutarou beamed. He doesn't have to return? Meeting Sokichi was the best thing ever. "Thank you boss!"

**4. Name**

Sokichi settled everything with his parents. They yelled at him for running away and making them worry so much. Ryuunosuke was the only one who remained calm enough to ask if this was what Shoutarou really wanted. But Shoutarou could tell Ryuunosuke was ready to breakdown in tears when he said yes it was. There's a small part of him that felt extremely guilty over that. Shoutarou might fight with his parents but he never wanted to hurt Ryuunosuke.

"Sorry Ryuu-niisan," Shoutarou softly apologized. He twirled the phone cord tight around his finger.

"If this is what you want, then you should do it," Ryuunosuke reassured over the phone. There's another stab of guilt at Shoutarou's heart. Because he was the youngest, Shoutarou did have the choice of doing what he wanted. On the other hand Ryuunosuke as the eldest didn't. The responsibilities and legacy of the family lay all upon Ryuunosuke's shoulders. It's only pure luck that Ryuunosuke actually enjoyed being a samurai and a kabuki actor.

"Just promise me Shou-chan," Ryuunosuke said. "That at least you will keep practicing your sword techniques and mojikara. I know you hate it… but it never hurts to be prepared."

A large knot formed in the pit of Shoutarou's stomach. The meaning behind Ryuunosuke's words, the reasoning, and the memories associated with it, all come rushing back into Shoutarou's head. "Ah, yeah," he dully promised. Hopefully he'll never have to ever make good on that promise.

The rest of the negotiations go fairly smoothly. His parents agreed to let him stay since he was that passionate about it. Ryuunosuke told him to come home when he's ready and to keep in touch. Several days later, Shoutarou would receive a package from his parents containing some of his personal objects that he had left behind. He reluctantly accepted the calligraphy set and shinai that he knew Ryuunosuke added to the package.

Sokichi told him he would have to finish high school if he had any intention of staying in Fuuto. There was no chance that Sokichi was going to take on a protégé that didn't even finish high school.

Shoutarou looked at the high school application form then he looked at Sokichi. "Can I change my last name?" he asked, tapping a pen against the desk. He had hoped he wouldn't have to take the high school entrance exams but it was a small price to pay to remain in Fuuto.

"Why would you want to do that?" Sokichi questioned. Ikenami was a fine name.

Shoutarou shrugged. "Just want a new start." It wasn't so much as he wanted to throw away his old family, but a fresh clean break without the previous burden of his family was too tempting.

Sokichi's eyebrow rose, but otherwise he didn't question it. "Well then how about Hidari?" he suggested.

Shoutarou's eyebrow furrowed together in confusion. "Left?" he asked. "Why left?" Hidari seemed like a plain name to him.

The detective smirked fondly and ruffled the small boy's hair. "I don't need a right hand man, no hardboiled detective does. But having a left hand man I suppose could work."

That was how Hidari Shoutarou came to live in at Narumi's detective agency.

**3. Sword **

Losing Sokichi was hard. It brought up ugly memories and there was nothing more that Shoutarou wanted to do then to run away as fast as he could. But he can't. He wasn't a child anymore. Running away was no longer an option.

Then there was Philip. Insane, weird, manic, odd, Philip. Philip whom Sokichi entrusted to him. Philip doesn't understand, but does. A weaker person would just blame Philip but Shoutarou was stronger than that. Deny it as much as he could, but Shoutarou was a samurai and the least he could do was grind his teeth and bare the wound he had dealt to himself.

There was no one else to blame but himself.

So Shoutarou tried. He tried to piece together his life once more. It took time to get use to Philip's new presence and Sokichi's missing one. It's awkward and unsettling but somehow it worked.

Three days after Begins Night, Philip brought up the question of W and whether Shoutarou would continue to have the courage to ride with the devil. The organization was still out there and Gaia Memories still plagued Fuuto. Shoutarou agreed without hesitation. Stopping the organization that had killed Sokichi was the least he could do to honor the man who took him in.

They start by testing all the forms of W. Syncing with each other was easy enough but Shoutarou was more than relieved at the fact that none of W's forms produced a sword. He isn't sure if he's ready to hold a sword again. The same could be said for a bow and arrows.

"It's a shame W doesn't have a sword," Philip commented one day.

Shoutarou looked at his new partner. "Why?" he asked.

"Because you have training with a sword," Philip stated. He pointed to the shinai tucked hidden in the corner. "Every morning you go out to practice with your shinai. I researched kendo last night. It's very impressive the amount of katas you know. You are not a beginner."

Shoutarou winced at Philip's logical breakdown but it goes unnoticed by the Child of Fate. He had kept up with shinai practice because of Ryuunosuke's request but it is still largely something he refused to acknowledge. It seemed he was not quiet enough in the morning while sneaking out to practice.

"Yeah… too bad," he weakly agreed.

**2. Mojikara**

"Why do you insist on using that old thing?"

Shoutarou looked up from his report. "What thing?" he asked. They had just finished a case of yet another missing pet and all Shoutarou wanted to do was to finish up the report before finding some sushi to eat.

Akiko was standing in front of his desk, pointing at the typewriter. "The typewriter," she clarified. "Why do you insist on typing in romanji?"

"Because it's hardboiled!"

_-Whack!-_

"Idiot," Akiko said with a huff. "There's nothing hardboiled about that at all!" She twirled around and marched away from his desk. The clanging of metal told Shoutarou that she had gone downstairs into the garage. No doubt to see what Philip was doing.

Shoutarou grumbled and nursed his head. Akiko didn't have to whack him with her green slipper. Still at least it threw her off his back. He ran a hand over the typewriter.

While he can't get away from writing in Kanji as it was his native language. Kanji reminded him too much mojikara. Like with the shinai, it was something he still practiced per Ryuunosuke's request but at least using the typewriter, Shoutarou could escape it even if it was for a brief moment.

**1. Stage **

When Philip had… volunteered them to be Kamen Singer on _Fuuuuuutic Idol_, Shoutarou was more than unhappy. He had never thought he would be on a stage again. He didn't want to be on a stage. It reminded him too much of kabuki even if singing on _Fuuuuuutic Idol_ was nothing like that.

He tried hard to drown out the cheering from the audience and butterflies in his stomach. As usual, he couldn't fault Philip doing this, but that didn't stop Shoutarou from being miserable.

Shoutarou can only pray that Ryuunosuke will never see this on TV.

**And One Thing He Didn't**

Hero

Being W was the greatest thing in world for Shoutarou. He wasn't a Shinkenger but he was still helping people. He was making a _difference_. As a detective he was doing something to improve people's lives, even if it was just finding a lost pet.

The colors were different but he still got to be the hero he always wanted to be. It took many trials and sins and even more stumbling and mistakes. Shoutarou had run away from one family and into another. He didn't regret it one bit.

_"Saa, omae no tsumi wo kazoero!"_

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><p>Please Review. :3 Next Part will be up soon.<p> 


	2. 5 Things Shoutarou Tried To Run From

I own nothing but the plunny.

**Author's Note:**

=Updated=

Timeline goes KRW starts before SSS. To break it down:

_Year 0:_ Begins Night happens.

_Year 1 Fall:_ KRW starts (Year ends with episode 12-13 and the Begin Night Movie)

_Year 2 Spring:_ SSS starts. _Year 2 Summer/Fall:_ KRW ends. (Year 2 ends with SSS episode 44)

_Year 3 Spring:_ SSS ends. _Year 3 Summer/Fall:_ KRW epilogue.

Currently no spoilers for Shinkengers but you are required to at least know who Ryuunosuke and the common terms used in the series (i.e. Mojikara). As far as Kamen Rider W there are spoilers at least up to episode 32.

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><p><em>Five Things Shoutarou Tried To Run From and Failed<em>

He ran away as fast as he could but in the end he still failed to get away from them.

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><p><strong>5. Name<strong>

Shoutarou was convinced that Philip has some weird ability see into his head and see what he was thinking and feeling. That or Shoutarou was that transparent, but the former made Shoutarou feel better.

"Your book is missing the first half of your life," Philip said to him one day over breakfast.

Shoutarou stared at him in shock. He didn't think Philip would do a lookup (as they were calling it these days) on him. Then again this was Philip and Shoutarou really shouldn't be surprised about it. Philip looked up everything he could.

"That's… because I didn't always go by the name Hidari Shoutarou," he said quietly. He looked away from his partner and focused on the eggs on his plate. It wasn't as if he was trying to hide his past from Philip but it was nothing he wanted to talk about.

It was the wrong thing to say to Philip because Shoutarou can see the manic look of an interesting puzzle in Philip's eyes. Then as soon as it appeared, it vanished. Shoutarou stared at his partner.

"I see…" Philip said slowly. Then he resumed eating.

It seemed that after a few months of living with Shoutarou, Philip was finally starting to learn social signals. The dark hair man realized that his partner didn't want to talk about it and somehow managed to stomp down the urge to ask. A small smile appeared on Shoutarou's face. He was grateful for that. Without any doubt, he would tell Philip if he asked but for now it was nice to keep it hidden away. He made a note to treat Philip to some cake later on.

"Delivery for Ikenami Shoutarou?"

Shoutarou took the large box from the delivery man. "Ah that's me," he said, tipping the man. He placed the box on the table, instantly recognizing the return address. Why would Ryuunosuke and his parents be sending him a package? Oh yes… his birthday was coming up wasn't it?

He cut open the box to see a gift wrapped up inside, along with a box for his mother's cookies. He had a weakness for his mother's cookies. They were always so wonderful. Definitely one of the many things he missed from home. "Oi, Philip, do you want some cookies?" Shoutarou turned around, box in hand only to find Philip in the tattletale pose of him accessing the Gaia Library. So much for restraint.

At least he wouldn't have to explain it to Philip.

**4. Mojikara**

This was bad. Very bad. They had run straight into trouble. It had been one of the few days that they decided to chance taking Philip outside. It seemed luck was not on their side today and shortly after they had stepped outside from a bakery, they had run straight into a group of Masquerade Dopants.

Shoutarou grabbed Philip's hand and made a run for it. They could transform into W but that would leave Philip's body unconscious and one more thing to protect. For now it was much better to run.

"Damn, they don't just give up," Shoutarou panted. The Masquerade Dopants were just as hard as losing Kuroko (only the Kuroko were much sneakier and discreet about it). Philip stood next to him, hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"There they are!"

Shoutarou groaned. This was getting ridiculous. Time for drastic measures. He pulled out a brush from his inner vest pocket.

"Shoutarou?" Philip asked. Why was Shoutarou holding a brush in the air? This was not the time for calligraphy.

"It'll be okay," Shoutarou reassured. He made a few broad strokes in the air. To Philip's amazement, a kanji appeared. "Ha!" Shoutarou flipped the kanji around.

Instantly smoke filled the area, stopping the movements of the Masquerade Dopants. In the confusion, Shoutarou grabbed Philip and ran. Several minutes later they were back home and safe away from the organization.

"What was that?" Philip asked. There was the curious manic gaze in his eyes again. Shoutarou could almost laugh. Only Philip who had just spent the last twenty minutes running away from organization that want to kidnap him would think about research right now.

"Mojikara," Shoutarou said. There's no need to explain anymore. Philip will look it up. Shoutarou was just grateful that he had listened to Ryuunosuke's advice.

It saved their lives today.

**3. Samurai Family**

It seemed no matter how hard he tried, there were elements from his samurai family that kept leaking into his life. Samurai or not, Shoutarou was fully prepared to blame Terui Ryuu for it.

"You are impossible Ryuu-niisan!"

Shoutarou's eyes widened in shock and he quickly shut his mouth. Terui stared back at him, the argument they were having instantly stopped. Akiko who had been between them, trying to break up the fight looked at Shoutarou as well.

"Eh?" She exclaimed. When did Shoutarou start calling Ryuu-kun niisan?

Shoutarou's lips pressed together in a firm line. Without another word, he brushed past the superintendent and walked out the door. Sitting the red chair, Philip watched as his partner disappeared. "Ah," he said in a knowing tone of voice.

"Philip?" Akiko questioned. "What was that about?"

Philip didn't say anything at first. It really wasn't his place to say, but Akiko was not going to let it go. Or worse, she will ask Shoutarou when he came back and that wasn't going to do anything to improve his partner's mood. "Shoutarou has a brother named Ryuunosuke. I believe Terui reminds Shoutarou of him."

"Eh?"

"Stupid Terui," Shoutarou muttered under his breath. He cleansed each utensil with even clean strokes. He hadn't meant to refer to Terui as Ryuu-niisan, but it slipped out before he could stop it. While Terui and his brother were nothing alike, they both had this one trait they shared. Both were stubbornly relentless. Ryuunosuke was more harmless and more about the seriousness of his samurai training while Terui was more about his revenge. Arguing with Terui reminded Shoutarou so much of his brother that the accusation flew out of his mouth.

"Tantei? Why are you here?"

Makura questioned why he was sitting on the floor of the office. Without warning, Shoutarou had burst into the office with a box, laid out a sheet, and began to clean tea utensils. Jinno recognizing what Shoutarou was doing dragged Makura over to the sheet and made him have a seat.

Jinno quickly bopped Makura on the head with his hand massager. "Quiet you idiot!" he instructed with a low voice. "Shoutarou is making tea!"

"He can do that?" Makura asked. He had never seen Shoutarou do something like this before. The detective was unusually quiet and serious as he continued onward the motion of the tea ceremony.

Just then the door opened, revealing Philip, Akiko and Terui in the doorway. "E-!" Philip covered Akiko's mouth before she could disrupt the nearly quiet atmosphere.

"Shoutarou does tea ceremonies when he's upset," Philip quietly explained. "For now just go with it." He swiftly crossed the police office and took a seat next to Jinno. Akiko and Terui shared a glance before they took a seat next to Makura.

Shoutarou didn't even bat an eyelash at the presence of his partner. He simply added nine more scoops of macha green tea powder to the tea bowl. Then he ladled hot water into the bowl and began to whisk. Once he was done, he presented the bowl to Philip and bowed. Philip returned the gesture before he took the tea bowl. He examined the bowl then rotated it before taking a sip. Philip wiped the rim of the bowl and then presented Jinno who repeated the same actions. The bowl continued down the line ending with Akiko who returned the bowl back to Shoutarou.

She then shared at look with Terui and Makura who were thinking the same thing. Shoutarou made _excellent_ tea. Jinno and Philip have both gone through this before and they smiled privately to themselves. Shoutarou's coffee skills were lacking but his tea making was excellent.

Shoutarou on the other hand felt an immense calm fill him. There was something soothing about tea ceremonies that he always loved. Granted he was breaking tradition slightly, modifying the location and how his guests noisily reacted, but the atmosphere was now nice and tranquil. It was strange to think that he use to hate sitting still for tea ceremony lessons as a child. He will have to talk to Terui later and once again try to smack some sense into the thick superintendent's head. But for now, he will enjoy the peaceful aura of the room.

The tea ceremony was perhaps the only part of his samurai legacy that he willing embraced.

**2. Stage**

When they hatched up the plan to deal with the Liar Dopant, Shoutarou found himself once again on a stage. Only this time he isn't really miserable about it. He looked like a complete fool wearing sparkle gold and pink colors and makeup. The stuff vulture on his head kept flopping over and Akiko can't look at him with a straight face.

And yet, this is the happiest Shoutarou has been in a long time.

Unlike _Fuuuuuutic Idol_, this is even more similar to Kabuki. If Shoutarou tried hard enough, the ridiculous outfit he's wearing isn't that much different from the elaborate costumes of Kabuki. He isn't even performing in front a large crowd that normally caused his stomach to flip and twist into knots. Instead he was only performing in front of Philip (and well the Liar Dopant as well but he doesn't count in Shoutarou's book) who knew of Shoutarou's past and previous training. In many ways it reminded him of practicing in front of Ryuunosuke.

So he took to the stage once more, prancing about and performing to his fullest ability. The lights were bright and the hall was quiet. All Shoutarou needed was Philip's knowing smile to give it his all. It wasn't kabuki, but he could pretend that the hall was full with fans, that his costume was bright and colorful instead of this silly outfit and that phantom ghost of his brother performing next to him.

The stage was wonderful and grand thing.

**1. Sword**

Shoutarou's day had been a mixed roller coaster of emotions. Anger, frustration, sorrow, -I can't transform into W. I'm useless… again- wet, hurt, relief, warmth, -Nobody's Perfect- a sense of renewal, "If that turns out to be a weakness, then I will accept it. Let's go… partner."

Philip was far too nice and Shoutarou didn't deserve to be his partner. However Philip wanted Shoutarou as a partner and that meant the entire world to him. With all his might, Shoutarou will follow after Philip. He vowed to never let his will crumble again.

Transforming with Xtreme Memory is odd but nice. Shoutarou long had gotten use to Philip's presence in his mind but it always felt somewhat incomplete. Now it felt more fitted, more complete like two halves finally clicking together. He doesn't understand a thing about W's new form but Philip does and Shoutarou trusted Philip with his life.

'_Ne, Shoutarou,'_ Philip causally joked in their now shared mind. _'W finally got a sword.'_

'_Eh?'_ Philip mentally showed him the image. Shoutarou can't stop the grin on his face. He never thought he would be so happy to see a sword.

"PrismBicker!" they chorused together. The sword and shield appeared from within them.

'_Teach me well, Shoutarou,'_ Philip teased in their mind. While not a katana, the sword felt right in Philip's –both- their hands. It's heavier than a shinai but the weight was easy to get use to.

'_Ah! Leave it to me!'_ Shoutarou confidently replied. With the other forms of W it had taken weeks to get use to each weapon. But a sword Shoutarou knew like the back of his hand. The sword became an extension of their arm, stance was firm and grip was just right.

'_Saa let's end this aibou.'_

"Prism Maximum Drive!"

'_Yes!'_

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><p>Please Review. :3 Next Part will be up within a few days. <em><br>_


	3. 4 Childhood Memories Shoutarou Passed

I own nothing.**  
><strong>

**Author's Note:**

=Updated= (incase you haven't read the first chapter updated notes)

Timeline goes KRW starts before SSS. To break it down:

_Year 0:_ Begins Night happens.

_Year 1 Fall:_ KRW starts (Year ends with episode 12-13 and the Begin Night Movie)

_Year 2 Spring:_ SSS starts. _Year 2 Summer/Fall:_ KRW ends. (Year 2 ends with SSS episode 44)

_Year 3 Spring:_ SSS ends. _Year 3 Summer/Fall:_ KRW epilogue.

**Currently there are little to no spoilers for both series but as the story progress there major spoilers for endings of both especially in reference to SSS episode 44/45 and KRW 48/49.**

Please continue at your own risk.

This chapter makes reference to KRW episode 24 and subtle reference to SSS 8.

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><p><em>4 Childhood Memories Shoutarou passed onto Philip and the one he kept from himself<em>

Philip had no childhood memories that he could remember. The least Shoutarou could do was share some of his own.

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><p><strong>4. Playing Tennis<strong>

Living with Philip was like learning to live all over again. There were so many things that seemed brand new to him. Add Philip's ability to look up everything and there was never a dull day around the agency.

It had started with a missing pet case. Nothing too serious and Shoutarou was done by noon. The problem started when Shoutarou had brought back the puppy with him. To keep the small pet amused, Shoutarou had an old tennis ball that he tossed around for the puppy to fetch. Said tennis ball it was started Philip's manic research obsession.

Shoutarou turned his back on his new partner for just a moment to hand the client their puppy back and the next thing he knew the walls of his office were covered in black ink. The history of tennis, several methods and techniques, diagrams of tennis rackets and the rules of the game were now printed on the green walls.

"Philip!" Shoutarou exclaimed. "What are you doing?" He made a note to himself to install some whiteboards in the garage. There was no way Shoutarou was going to continuously scrub the walls to get rid of the ink every time Philip got lost in research. At least the whiteboards would be erasable.

Luckily Philip stopped this time to answer Shoutarou. "It's amazing. This sport, tennis, it's very interesting." He returned his attention back to the wall and continued to write, quietly reciting information back to himself.

Shoutarou winced. Tennis. He used to play with Ryuunosuke all the time when they were children. They were no good at it and spent most of the time making up the rules as they went along.

"_Ryuu-niisan!"_

"_Shou-chan, try again. You can hit the ball!"_

"_I can't!"_

"_You can! Just try!"_

"_Alright…"_

_-Whack!-_

"_You did it Shoutarou!"_

A small smile appeared on Shoutarou's face as he fondly remembered those times. Ryuunosuke never let him give up. With that memory in mind, Shoutarou grabbed Philip by the hand and began to drag him out of the office.

"Shoutarou?" Philip questioned. "Where are we going?"

"If you're going to research tennis, then you should at least try tennis yourself. Reading and doing are two separate things after all," Shoutarou said. There was no room for question in his tone voice.

"But!"

"No buts!" If Shoutarou could do it, Philip could too.

It was time to take a leaf out of Ryuunosuke's book and be relentlessly stubborn about it.

**3. Being Sick**

It really shouldn't surprise him that Philip got sick. Whenever he went off on one of his manic obsession research, he would more than often forget to eat and sleep. Shoutarou told himself that he had to be more vigilant in making sure that Philip took care of himself. They can't exactly be W if one of them was sick.

Philip lay on Shoutarou's bed with an ice pack on his forehead, currently fast asleep. His temperature had skyrocketed to a hundred and four degrees. Philip had collapsed on him during lunch; his face flushed red and damp like a wet towel.

Shoutarou sat next to his unconscious partner. Now what was he suppose to do? He never had to take care of a sick person before.

When he was a kid, he was the one who always got sick. He remembered his mother making zosui for him, her cool hand on his warm forehead, and being tucked in. Ryuunosuke would insist on reading him a story and carefully snuck in cookies for Shoutarou that he shouldn't be eating while he was sick. Even his father would soften on days like this.

Hmm…

Shoutarou stood up. Sparing a glance back at Philip, he grabbed his hat and left the office. He had to make a quick run to the store.

Philip groaned and sat up. He felt hot and sticky. His head pounded like someone took a hammer and repeated slammed it into his head. However, something also smelled really good.

"Here."

Philip looked up to see Shoutarou standing next to the bed. In his hands was a tray with a bowl of hot food. "Zosui," Shoutarou said, placing the tray on Philip's lap. "Mother use to make it for me when I got sick." Then he produced a bottle of medicine. "You should also take some medicine. It'll help bring your fever down."

Philip dully nodded in agreement. He was too tired to argue. Soon, he had finished the soup and took the medicine. He lay back down on the bed. Shoutarou placed a new wet towel on his forehead.

"Get some rest, partner," Shoutarou said. He opened up one of Sokichi's detective books and read aloud to himself.

Philip smiled. It was nice to have someone take care of you while you were sick.

**2. Pose**

It was the first time they had transformed together to defeat a Dopant. The weeks of training and syncing with each other had paid off. While they hadn't expected to run into a Dopant, the fact they could transform without a problem was a huge accomplishment in Shoutarou's book.

"Shoutarou," Philip chimed. "Why did you pose when we transform?"

"Err… well… um…" Shoutarou muttered to himself.

"_Shoutarou the first thing you have to learn for being a Shinkenger is how to properly pose!"_

_Eight year old Shoutarou looked up at his big brother and nodded firmly. "Yes!" he said full of enthusiasm. Then he stopped, tilted his head and asked, "Why?"_

_Ryuunosuke pumped his fist into the air. "Because it must be a cool pose, one that honors you, your family and tono!" _

"It, uh, honors the boss?" Shoutarou lamely answered. When he was kid he use to practice poses so often that when it came to transforming into W, Shoutarou automatically posed.

"Ahhhhh? Posing honors people? How intriguing."

Shoutarou felt Philip's concentration slip. At the same time the Dopant came charging at them. Shoutarou managed to roll W's body to the side. "Damnit, Philip! We're fighting! Focus!"

"But Shoutarou!"

"Lookup poses later!"

**1. Crossdressing**

Right… so Terui had shot down the idea of Akiko being Wakana-hime for their plan to capture the Liar Dopant, which… meant one of them had to be Wakana because there was no way Terui could pull it off. Since Philip can't act the fool part, that left Shoutarou with that part and Philip with the role of Wakana-hime.

Shoutarou wasn't sure if he should be insulted or relieved or worried. He settled on all three.

"Hold still Philip," Shoutarou said. He brushed the curly black wig on Philip's head, making sure the layers of hair would help obscure Philip's face. Picking up the pink hairband from the table, Shoutarou placed it into the wig. It would go nicely with the rest of the outfit, especially with the fake nails.

"You're surprisingly good at this, Hidari," Terui commented. He was already dressed in his disguise.

"In Kabuki men play both the male and female roles," Philip commented with a knowing smile.

"Hm?" Terui questioned. "What does that to do with this?"

Shoutarou's cheeks tinted red. "Oh hush," he muttered to Philip as he applied lipgloss to Philip's lips. It's become slightly horrifying the amount of times Shoutarou had to use his onnagata skills since Philip had come into his life. It was far too easy to dress Philip up as a girl. It did make for an excellent disguise. No, there wasn't a closet in the garage full of female clothing either.

"_Ryuu-niisan! Why I have to learn the onnagata?"_

"_Because you make a cute girl, Shou-chan."_

"_Do not!"_

"_But you do! Beside even if you don't like it, it's always good to learn. Never know when if it's going to come in handy one day."_

Stupid knowing Ryuu-niisan.

**And The One He Kept To Himself**

Shoutarou twirled the ring around his pinky, lost in thought. It had been a quiet afternoon. There were no cases and Philip was holed up in the garage again. This time he was researching strawberry shortcake.

Pulling the silver ring off his finger, Shoutarou held it up in the air. The sunlight bounced off the reflective metal.

"_What are these Shou-chan?"_

"_Rings niisan! One for me and one for you!" _

"_So shiny! You're the best little brother in the world. I'll wear mines every day."_

Shoutarou placed the ring back on his finger. It seemed that he would not be getting any work done this afternoon. He opened the drawer in his desk and pulled out a photo. Softly to himself he said:

"Happy Birthday Ryuu-niisan."

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><p><strong><em>Fun Facts:<em>**

Actors who play Shoutarou and Ryuunosuke both had roles in Prince of Tennis the musical.

Zosui is miso-like soup with daikon, tofu, rice and few other things that I can't remember. It's been awhile since I made it.

Onnagata is the female role that men play in Kabuki.

Both Ryuunosuke and Shoutarou wear rings. Ryuu on his index finger, Shou on his pinky.

Please Review. :3 Next Part will be up in a few days.


	4. 3 Shinkengers Shoutarou Met and The 1

I don't own the characters, just the plunny. Now we've reached a part where it's an actual crossover instead of just SSS playing backstory.

**Author's Note:**

Timeline goes KRW starts before SSS. To break it down:

_Year 0:_ Begins Night happens.

_Year 1 Fall:_ KRW starts (Year ends with episode 12-13 and the Begin Night Movie)

_Year 2 Spring:_ SSS starts. _Year 2 Summer/Fall:_ KRW ends. (Year 2 ends with SSS episode 44)

_Year 3 Spring:_ SSS ends. _Year 3 Summer/Fall:_ KRW epilogue.

**Currently there are little to no spoilers for both series but as the story progress there major spoilers for endings of both especially in reference to SSS episode 44/45 and KRW 48/49.**

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><p><em>Three Shinkengers Shoutarou Met and The One He Went To See<em>

Apparently resolving to leave the world of Shinkengers is not enough. Fate has a funny way of making sure Shoutarou kept running into them.

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><p><strong>3. Ryuunosuke<strong>

It had seemed that Philip had taken Shoutarou's advice to heart about not only reading up on things, but also experiencing them. Shoutarou had suspected this had been boiling under the lid for quite some time, but only recently had it shown up.

If Shoutarou didn't know any better, he would have thought Philip that purposely planned this. Damn, his partner was getting devious.

"Shoutarou! The show is about to start!" Philip grabbed Shoutarou's wrist and dragged his partner to their seats in the theater. It was just their luck that Philip managed to get them front row seats (though if Shoutarou was right, it was not a coincidence).

The lights soon dimmed and two actors came out. Dressed in brightly colored kimonos and long wigs, the two actors danced to the music. They leapt into the air, landing with a powerful stomp on the stage. Shoutarou watched with a quiet but critical eye, knowing the routines and how the act would play out.

Soon, it was over and Philip was off dragging him backstage. Well, that more or less confirmed it. Philip knocked on the door of the dressing room. The door flung open, revealing a tall, brown-haired man dressed in the bright colored kimono of the one of the actors.

"OTOUTO!"

Before Shoutarou can could protest, he was pulled into a hug. "Ryuu-niisan," he gasped. "I need to breath."

Ryuunosuke let him go reluctantly. "Sorry," he said, not really meaning the apology. He swung his arm around Shoutarou's shoulders. "It's been too long, otouto," he said.

Shoutarou noticed that Philip was standing off to the side, looking happy but depressed. Ah, he was such an idiot. For Philip, who couldn't remember his family, the idea of Shoutarou purposely leaving his all those years ago probably didn't make sense. Shoutarou knew there were plenty of unasked questions that Philip had after reading the book about the first half of his life. He resolved to talk to Philip after this.

But first… "Ryuu-niisan. This is my partner, Philip," Shoutarou introduced his younger partner. "Philip this is my older brother, Ryuunosuke."

Ryuunosuke beamed and swept Philip into a hug. "So you're Philip-kun! Shoutarou told me all about you! I hope you enjoyed the show."

Philip looked bewildered and glanced at his partner. "Shoutarou talks about me?"

"Well not everything," Shoutarou mumbled, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

"Every time I call him," Ryuunosuke said in a sing-song tone.

Philip believed that. There was someone who called the agency every night before Shoutarou went to bed. He was a little surprised that Shoutarou would talk about him, though, to his brother. They had only been living together for a few months now, and it had only been last week that Philip learned that Shoutarou's original last name was Ikenami.

Ryuunosuke ruffled Philip's hair. "Ah, I got another cute otouto," he said proudly.

"Cute?" Shoutarou said. At the same time, Philip said, "Otouto?" They both looked at Ryuunosuke with confused expressions on their faces.

"Of course!" Ryuunosuke exclaimed. "Welcome to family, Philip. I can't wait to tell Mother and Father that they have another son who's just as adorable as Shou-chan."

Shoutarou sputtered. "We're not putting through Philip through samurai training!"

Ryuunosuke grinned. "I didn't say anything about samurai training," he teased. He turned his attention to Philip, who was looking very lost in the conversation. "Do you like Kabuki, Philip-kun?"

Shoutarou waved his hands frantically. "Say NO, Philip! Before Ryuu-niisan kidnaps you!"

"I won't kidnap him, Shou-chan!"

"You would too!"

Philip watched as Ryuunosuke and Shoutarou playfully fought, running around the room. He didn't really understand what was going on. However, the fact that Ryuunosuke considered him to be family right off the bat warmed his heart. Why Shoutarou wanted to leave this behind, Philip didn't understand.

"Family. How compelling…"

**2. Kotoha**

"Aki-chan! It's been so long!"

"Kotoha-chan!"

Shoutarou watched as a small girl walked into the agency with a large cloth bag swung on her shoulders. Her black hair was pulled into two low pigtails and he could see a strange necklace hanging from her neck, though Akiko was currently blocking his view as she hugged the girl.

"What brings you to Fuuto?" Akiko asked. She had known Kotoha back in Osaka. They had been close friends who regularly ran into each other before they had exchanged addresses to keep in touch, as Kotoha lived much farther away.

"I'm just passing through," Kotoha explained. "But I dropped my flute when I went to get something to eat. I remembered you told me that you had a detective agency here in Fuuto, and I was hoping you could help me look for it?" She smiled shyly.

Shoutarou couldn't help but smile back. "Of course we will," he said with a slight bow. It was then that he noticed the yellow triangle necklace with the kanji for earth on it. "Ah," he said, pointing to it.

Kotoha looked down. "Ah, this?" she said, gripping the triangle tightly. "It's a family heirloom."

Shoutarou knew it was more than just that. It was an Origami. That meant Kotoha was a Shinkenger. Judging from the bag on her shoulders, it probably meant that the Gendoshuu had returned, and they were being summoned. Ryuunosuke would be going into battle soon. It…upset him more than he thought.

"Shoutarou?" Akiko called out. She looked a little concerned by Shoutarou's spacing out. Akiko reached out, placing a hand on Shoutarou's shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Ah, it's nothing," Shoutarou replied. Giving a smile to Kotoha, he said, "Let's go find your flute."

A few hours later, they had tracked down Kotoha's flute. She had left it at the ramen stand before it was picked up by Watcherman. The informant apologized for just picking it up and gladly returned it to Kotoha. Once that was done, they walked Kotoha back to the station, where they waited for her train to arrive.

"Thank you very much!" Kotoha said with a bow.

"No problem, Kotoha-chan," Akiko chirped. "Keep in touch, okay?"

The smaller girl nodded. "Hai!" Turning to Shoutarou, she bowed once more. "Thank you again, Shoutarou-san."

Shoutarou leaned forward and tapped Kotoha's necklace. "Just do your best, ShinkenYellow."

Kotoha's eyes widened in surprised. "Ah! How do you know that?"

Shoutarou smiled and ignored Akiko's questioning look. He would deal with Akiko later. Right now, he knew Kotoha was about to head into a rough battle, and a sweet girl like her would need the encouragement. "'Cause I do. Tell ShinkenBlue that I said hi, okay?" He then ushered her toward the train that had pulled up. "Go on, now. Tono is waiting, isn't he?"

Kotoha gave a hesitant nod before stepping inside. "Yes," she agreed. "Do you know ShinkenBlue, Shoutarou-san?" She didn't know how Shoutarou knew about the Shinkengers. It was a secret, for the most part, but Akiko trusted him and he seemed like a nice person.

"Something like that. I'm sure if you ask, he'll tell you all about me," Shoutarou said. "Go protect this world."

"Hm! I will!"

**1. Genta**

There was this new Sushi cart that had appeared. Rumor had it the owner was only going to stick around for another day before moving onto the next city. Akiko wanted to try it, so she dragged Philip and Shoutarou out of the house.

That was how they ended up at Gold Sushi.

"It's… okay," Shoutarou stated, swallowing down the tamago sushi.

The sushi seller's face fell. Shoutarou winced. "Not that it's bad!" he quickly added on. "Just… plain."

If possible, the sushi seller got more depressed. Shoutarou mentally groaned. It was impressive that at such a young age this guy had his own cart to sell from, but really, the sushi was not that good. A pinging noise drew Shoutarou's attention to the fish tank.

"AH! Ika origami!" Shoutarou pointed at the fish tank. Inside, the white squid origami floated. It pinged and shot a burst of ink, clouding the tank.

"You know about the Origami?" the sushi seller asked. His bad mood had disappeared and a serious look appeared on his face.

Philip and Akiko had stopped their eating and looked at Shoutarou. Shoutarou felt flustered for a moment. Why was the Ika-origami here? It should be with Ryuunosuke and the rest of the Shinkengers. Did this guy steal it? Or was he a Shinkenger as well? But that didn't make sense. According Ryuunosuke's letters, all the Shinekengers were present. Perhaps it would be best to ask before he went around jumping to conclusions.

"Well, yes," Shoutarou asked. "Why do you have one? Are you a Shinkenger?" His eyes narrowed as he waited for the answer. He heard Akiko ask Philip what was Shinkenger was, since Shoutarou didn't explain it to her when Kotoha was here. Mentally, he sighed. Akiko was going to start asking questions again. Maybe he should just tell her. Shoutarou saved those thoughts for another time. If anything, Philip would explain it to her.

"Aha!" The sushi seller now had a goofy expression on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, not yet," he said. "Hopefully Take-chan will let me be one."

_'Ta-Ta-Take-chan?'_Shoutarou thought. This… guy referred to Tono as Take-chan? Shoutarou could feel a headache approaching. On second thought, it might be better not to ask and just wait for Ryuunosuke's letter to come and explain it all.

"I will be the new ShinkenGold!" the sushi seller proclaimed. He posed with his fist raised to the sky and a leg on one of his stools.

"Ah…" Shoutarou said. Yes, it would be better not to ask. "Good luck."

"Thank you!"

**And The One He Went To See**

He… shouldn't be here. But this was the only thing left that Shoutarou could think of. He fidgeted as he sat, waiting. The Kuroko had come in, and, through his protestations, dressed his wounds. Shoutarou was sure that if his father ever found about this, he would have Shoutarou's head for what he was about to do.

The sliding door opened, revealing a tall, black-haired man: Shiba Takeru. Shoutarou immediately placed both his hands on the floor and dropped his forehead to the ground. "Tono-sama," he greeted. "I apologize for this late night interruption."

"It's fine," Takeru said. He took a seat on his platform. "Now, who are you?"

Before Shoutarou could answer him, a gruff voice interrupted. "Ikenami Shoutarou." Shoutarou looked back to see an old man dressed in traditional male kimono.

"Jii," Takeru greeted.

Jii took a seat on the left hand side of Takeru's platform. "Ikenami Shoutarou. The Ikenami family is the holder of the Ryuu-origami and traditionally the family of the ShinkenBlue. Shoutarou-san is the second son. Records say you ran away from home several years ago. Why have you returned here?" He had a stern look on his face as if he was somewhere between concerned and disappointed.

Shoutarou winced. It seemed Jii was a master of the 'Look' as well. "Ran away is kinda… not the right word." He sighed, shoulders sagging. "Look, I know I have no right to ask this but the Shiba Clan is the only one I know who could pull this off. To make an extremely long story short, after I left home, I ended up working for a detective agency. Recently, my boss, the owner of the agency, took on a case that involved the rescue of a child."

Shoutarou paused and looked at the white hat that was placed on the ground next to him. Begins Night… it happened only two days ago, and Shoutarou and Philip had been on the run since. It had been too dangerous to return to the agency, and Fuuto had been crawling with Masquerade Dopants searching for them. Transforming into W was beginning to take its toll, and, because neither Philip nor he were not used to it, it wasn't the more efficient way to defend themselves, especially since it left Philip's body unprotected.

What they needed was time. Time to perfect transforming into W, time to recover and lay low, time to sit and absorb what had happened and to plan how to proceed. Shoutarou knew this wasn't something he could go to Jinno for, and asking help from his friends would put them in danger. They needed to leave Fuuto, if only for a short time, and the Shiba Clan was the only one Shoutarou could think for help. Not only were they capable of defending themselves if the Dopants showed up, but Shiba Clan's influence was much larger and widespread, and if there was anyone who could help them disappear for awhile, it was them. Shoutarou just hoped that the Shiba Head would be willing to help them.

"A child… the boy you brought with you?" Jii asked.

Shoutarou nodded. Shortly after they had arrived in the city, Philip had passed out from exhaustion. Shoutarou carried him to the Shiba Mansion where the Kuroko took him. Right now they're were probably putting him to bed so that he could rest.

"Philip-that's his name-was being held by this organization that is producing what is called 'Gaia Memories'," Shoutarou continued his story. He recited what Philip had explained to him while they were running away. "Gaia Memories, they're… they give people superpowers that turn them into monsters like the Gendoshuu."

That alarmed Jii and Takeru. They shared a look. "Such an organization exists?" Jii questioned. Takeru leaned forward; an even more serious look appeared on his face.

Shoutarou nodded. "Yes. They're called Dopants. I recently only started to learn all of this as well. Philip has fragmented memories of everything so the information he has is incomplete. However the bottom line is that Philip is important to them, and they will do anything to get him back."

"Why have you come here?" Takeru asked. He looked at the young man sitting before him. It was clear that Shoutarou had been through much. There were cuts that the Kuroko had patched up and bruises that seemed to be growing bigger. He looked worn out and exhausted. Takeru could see that despite all of that, the look of determination hadn't left him. Ikenami Shoutarou was definitely a samurai.

"We… need somewhere to stay and rest. Somewhere where the Dopants can't find us, and time to let us recover. Just for a few days, then we'll head back to Fuuto to take care of the problem," Shoutarou explained.

"You plan to go back?" Takeru asked, startled. His eyebrow was raised.

Shoutarou gave them a wry grin. "If there's one thing being an Ikenami has taught me, it was to never leave a problem for someone else to fix when you have the power to fix it yourself. I wouldn't be much of a samurai if I let innocent people suffer willingly, now, would I? Philip feels the same, especially since he had a hand in creating the Gaia Memories. Besides, we have a way of combating the organization. However, I haven't mastered it yet."

"A way of combating them?" Jii asked.

Pulling the Double Driver from his jacket, Shoutarou placed it on the ground along with the three Gaia Memories he carried. "I can't really explain it to you as I don't really understand it myself, and Philip hasn't finished explaining it to me," Shoutarou explained. "But this device allows us to use these Gaia Memories without the addiction and toxins that the regular normal Gaia Memories cause. Philip also said these were different, more… refined was the word he used. When Philip wakes up, we can demonstrate it to you."

"In the morning," Takeru interrupted. "For now get some rest."

Shoutarou's eyes widened. Jii looked at Takeru. "Tono?" he probed for a confirmation.

Takeru nodded. "They can stay here until they're ready to leave. Have the Kuroko be on the lookout for these… Dopants."

Shoutarou beamed. "Thank you Tono!"

They might have a chance at surviving yet.

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><p>Please Review :3 I do like hearing what you guys think about this.<p> 


	5. 2 Traits Shoutarou Shares With His Broth

I own the plunny.

Short chapter this time

Compatibility refers to episode 37 of SSS where Ryuunosuke and Chiaki fall in sync with each other easily.

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><p><em>Two Traits Shoutarou Shares With His Brother and One That is His Alone<em>

Sometimes it was easy to tell that they were brothers.

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><p><strong>2. Dramatic Acting<strong>

Akiko will often accuse him of being over dramatic. Terui will grumble. Philip just smiles. Shoutarou can't exactly help himself. He could deny it all he liked, but the bottom line was acting in his blood. His father would often drill into his head that the Ikenami family had been Kabuki actors just as long as they have been samurai.

So if he acted a bit dramatic and lived life as if it was a big play, it certainly wasn't his fault.

It did, however, make life interesting.

**1. Compatibility**

"Amazing, Shoutarou."

"Hm?"

They are still practicing getting used to transforming into W. Shoutarou found it easy to sync with Philip. It's just a matter of balance. When Philip pulled right, Shoutarou followed. When Shoutarou pulled left, he dragged Philip with him. More weight on Philip's side meant less weight on his side ,and vice versa.

"Your ability to sync is amazing," Philip pointed out. "I believed we would have had more trouble trying to match up with other. But right off the bat, we instantly harmonized and we have no trouble walking and moving as W. In fact, the only trouble we seem to have is actually using all the abilities W has to offer, such as controlling Heat's flames or making sure Trigger doesn't rapidly fire bullets."

Shoutarou scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "It's nothing," he said. "Otousan used to say I have good compatibility with people. Ryuu-niisan is the same. It certainly made performing on the stage a lot easier." He recalled being able to match with his father in a routine fairly fast.

"Interesting," Philip said. His head tilted to the side. "Is that what they mean by 'people person'?"

"Something like that."

**And One That is His Alone**  
>Halfboiled<p>

Philip chuckled to himself as Shoutarou tackled him in a hug. For someone who loved the whole "hardboiled" thing, Shoutarou was surprisingly halfboiled all the time. But as he felt hot tears on his shoulder, a tight squeeze and just Shoutarou being there, hugging him, Philip decided that was just how Shoutarou was.

"You're back."

"Missed you too, Shoutarou."

He wouldn't have it any other way.


	6. 4 Things Ryuunosuke Learned From His

Right so to start. I don't own this chapter. **It was written by Mayhem_Madness** with my permission for her to write and her permission for me to post it here. Post mostly for sake of order and easy finding later on.

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><p><em>Four Things Ryuunosuke Learned From His Insane Runaway Detective of a Little Brother (And One Ryuunosuke Never Learned (Kinda))<em>

Just because they can't see each other now doesn't mean they forget about each other. It'll take a lot more than Dopants and Gedoshuu to make that happen.

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><p><strong>4 How to Tail Someone (Properly)<strong>

"I really think that guy is suspicious. He keeps poking around the Gedoshuu attack sites, and then slinking away. I wonder what he could be doing...?"

"All right, let's follow him and see where he goes," Kotoha said cheerfully. "We'd be just like detectives!"

"Ah!" Ryuunosuke started. "Actually, the fewer people you have to follow someone, the better, though two is ideal."

"Huh?" Chiaki said. "What makes you the expert on following people?"

Ryuunosuke just smiled. "'A pro has their set of pro tailing techniques'," he quoted, though none of the other could tell from what. "Tono-sama?"

Takeru thought about it for a second, and then sighed. "Yes, fine, go. You and Kotoha-chan follow, and report back on his movements. We'll head back first and work on plans for defeating this Gedoshuu."

"Hai~" Ryuunosuke said, and then offered Kotoha his arm. "May I escort you in the general direction of the way that guy went?"

She nodded, trying to hold in a smile. "You may."

He took her hand as they headed out, and said, "Smile! Laugh! Come on, we're just two friends on a not-a-date that happen to be strolling this way."

"Ah," she said, smiling broadly now. "So that's why it's best to have two people?"

"Yup! You can blend in to any crowd, and you don't look as suspicious if they do happen to glance at you. Also, it gives you reasons to stop in random locations, and two sets of eyes are better than one."

"Wow, you really have thought all this out, haven't you, Ryuunosuke-kun?" She kept darting looks at him, though her eyes inevitably slid back to their quarry.

"Not really, no," he answered, "I learned it from—" but he stopped, pulling her suddenly towards a shop window. "He's looking!" he hissed, and bless her, Kotoha immediately started cooing over some trinket or something in the window.

"Can we go in?" She asked, eyes wide with faked enthusiasm. He bit down on his smile.

"Remember, it's your birthday soon. You're only allowed to point stuff out for me to remember, not buy anything," he told her, and she quickly turned her real laugh into a cutesy giggle. "Let's keep going," he added, and they resumed walking after the target, who was now a few feet further ahead of them.

"You're good at this," he complimented.

"Yes," she nodded, and fluttered her lashes at him. "But you're better."

"Nonsense," he said, patting her hand, and together, they set out to see where their target was going.

**3 How To Deal With Stubborn Idiots**

"Hey, little brother, how do you manage having an irritating partner stuck to you? It doesn't work...!"

There was a scramble of noises, and another voice came over the phone, far too loud. "Hey, who you calling irritating, moron!"

"Gimme the phone back, moron!"

"No, stupid dork!"

Shoutarou sighed, holding his phone away from his ear. "...and now you know my pain, brother."

There was the sounds of a brief scuffle, and then Ryuuosuke's voice came back over the phone. "Seriously, how do you deal with Philip every day without wanting to punch his face?"

"What makes you think I don't?" He asked, a little wryly. "No, mostly, I just ignore anything that comes out of his mouth, and drag him along. He pouts and talks, but will generally go if you physically move him. Does that help?"

"Actually, it does!" Ryuunosuke said, beaming. "That's good advice. Thanks, Shoutarou!"

He hung up a few secods later, looked at Chiaki over their bound wrists, and said, "We're going to do the shopping for the kuroko. Come on."

Chiaki protested, rather violently and vitriolically.

Ryuunosuke thought of his brother and his other 'brother', smiled grimly, and started walking.

**2 Why Wearing A Hat Is Cool**

One day, Ryuunosuke showed up wearing a baseball cap.

No one had the faintest clue why.

Chiaki stole it, and turned it over and over, examining it until Ryuunosuke stole it back.

"Why do you have a hat?" Mako asked. "You never wear hats."

Ryuunosuke scowled, and set it properly on his head. "It was a gift. And I have it from a very reliable source that hats are cool."  
>So of course Chiaki jumped, grabbing the brim and pulling. Ryuunosuke's head was pulled forward, until it slid off. He tossed the hat to Genta, who examines it, too.<p>

"It's just a hat," Genta said, baffled. "Not even a particularly nice hat." He frisbeed it back to Chiaki as soon as Ryuunosuke reached him.

Takeru stepped in, catching it between the two boys. He handed it back to Ryuunosuke, remarking mildly, "If it was a gift, you should be more careful with it."

"Ah," Ryuunosuke said, and bowed sharply. "Thank you, Tono-sama. I will."

"Oh, and Ryuunosuke? Some types of hats are cooler than others."

And Takeru swept out of the room, leaving Ryuunosuke with his hat in hands and jaw on the floor.

**1 Crossdressing For Battle Conditions**

"Why isn't it you doing this, again?" Chiaki demanded, struggling a little against his bonds.

"Because I'm the only one with a ranged weapon," Ryuunosuke reminded him absently. He turned another page, read what he found there, and raised his eyebrow at it. He continued to mumble to himself and went back to digging in a box.

Chiaki eyed the box with distaste and mounting horror as Ryuunosuke pulled little compacts and tubes out of it. "So? Who needs ranged? I could be on watch, and when he appeared just, uh, run really fast?"

Ryuunosuke snorted. "If you get Tono-sama to agree to it," he capitulated, and threw a smile over his shoulder to Takeru, whose lips were curling up, just a bit, just at the edges. He wouldn't have even caught it if he didn't know to look for it.

But Chiaki saw it too, and knew he was doomed. He pulled harder at the ropes, but was firmly stuck. Ryuunosuke watched him, and then nodded to himself. "Shoutarou was right, those knots are better," he murmured, causing a pen appear and making a note on the page. Then he dropped the sheaf of papers to the floor and said, "I'll be right back; I need something from my room."

If Chiaki strained forward a little and tilted his head, he could just glimpse some of the messy, crabbed scrawl on the pages. It said such horrifying things as "This gloss lasts longer while fighting," and "This foundation hides scars really well." He frowned, and then almost blew up when he read, "Tie your victim down before you start or they'll twitch. See next page for Five Fool-proof Reasons To Convince Your Victim They Must Crossdress For Justice (applicable to any situation)."

"Hey!" he yelled. "Hey, this isn't fair! I'll get you for this, you bastard!"

Ryuunosuke reappeared in the doorway, balancing more compacts. "Sure you will," he said agreeably. "Now close your eyes and hold your breath."

Chiaki did as instructed, and then quickly did the opposite. "No! Seriously! This is insulting and demeaning and I refuse to be a part of it."

Takeru nodded once behind them, and said, "So you'd rather leave the girls on their own against the Gedoshuu?"

Chiaki opened his mouth, and then shut it again. He knew that Mako-chan and Kotoha-chan were perfectly able to look after themselves, but plans do go wrong, and his honor as a man demanded that he look after them anyways. Kotoha was still so young...

"Fine," he growled, closing his eyes again. "Just hurry up, will you? The less time spent like this, the better."

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><p>The trap, with its bait of three teenage girls, works perfectly. Only, it turns out the Gedoshuu wasn't a Gedoshuu, just some idiot in a rented costume, using the monsters' reputation for his own despicable purposes.<p>

Chiaki was immeasurably glad he was there to step in front of the girls. Of course, then they flanked him, and the three proceeded to take turns kicking the guys ass six ways to Sunday.

He was breathing a touch heavily, wondering whyit was so much harder to fight in tights and heels, when the girls recovered enough to start chatting.

"Ne, Chiaki-kun, why is your make-up still perfect?" Mako asked, peering closely at his face.

"Eh?" he asked, and then searched his pockets and purse for a mirror.

"It's true!" Kotoha said. "Look, the lipgloss isn't even smeared! And the mascara didn't run from sweat, and the powder is still patted down perfectly! Mou, that's not fair."

"What?" Chiaki gave up hunting for mirrors, and decided to go hunting for bastard Ryuunosukes instead. "I did not do this. I did not volunteer for this. It's all that idiot Ryuunosuke's fault. He did this to me!"

"Really?" Mako asked. "All right, let's talk to Ryuunosuke-kun about it."

"Yes!" Kotoha cheered, and that was about when the other Shinkengers showed up.

"Is everyone okay?" Ryuunosuke asked hurredly, looking around for any threats.

"No," Chiaki said, "I'm not okay." And he launched a kick at Ryuunosuke's head, but the boy dodged easily.

"My little brother can kick twice that high in heels twice as tall," Ryuunosuke taunted, a little bit proud of his honorary little brother, and also a little horrified that he could utter that sentence and have it be true.

"Wait, what?" Chiaki stopped his pursuit to place his hands on his hips. "Seriously? Your family is weird."

"Hey, is that who I met in Fuuto that one time?" Kotohan wondered, recalling a brash but kind detective with inexplicable knowledge of the Shinkengers. "The detective?"

"Yup!" Ryuunosuke said proudly. "Well, no, that's my real little brother."

"I met him, too!" Genta exclaimed. "Oh, is that Ryuunosuke's brother? That explains a lot!"

And Ryuunosuke couldn't help but beam. "Yes! He's a great detective. He's also the one who perfected make-up that stays on for battling."

"Oh! Yes, tell us all about that?" Mako asked, and she and Kotoha came up to walk on either side of Ryuunosuke.

"Sure," he was saying. "We've worked out a list of products and techniques that I can show you. He's the one who sent me that manual I was working from earlier; he's really good at make-up, but then, he's had a lot of practice..."

Chiaki waited a little longer, realized no one was waiting for him, and flounced after them. "So not fair," he mumbled to himself, and started plotting revenge.

**And the One He Didn't Learn (Kinda): 01 Gullibility**

When they were kids, Shoutarou took it upon himself to teach his big brother how to be a more practical human being.

"Oh! A UFO!" he'd say, and point.

"Where?" Ryuuosuke would say, every single time, looking around.

"Brother," Shoutarou would sigh. "Really, now..."

Right up until the next cry of "Oh! A moose!" or "Oh! A monster!", or even, "Oh! A Kabuki actor!" while pointing directly at Ryuunosuke.

The elder invariably turned around, looking frantically, saying "Where? Where?"

What Shoutarou didn't know, and what Ryuunosuke would never tell him, is that he long since learned what was real and what was a distraction. But Shoutarou thought he was helping, and it was honestly kind of a game, now.

So when Mako said, "Oh! A Gedoshuu!" he dropped without looking, but when Genta said "Oh! Santa Claus!" he didn't even bat an eye.

But on the phone occasionally, Shoutarou said, "Oh! A cat-demon!" and Ryuunosuke would say, "Where? Where?" and Shoutarou would sigh and proclaim him hopeless, and Ryuunosuke would smile.

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><p>If you like to leave a review for her personally, the link is (remove spaces):<p>

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	7. 2 Times a Detective Stop by for Tea

I own the plunny.

The exact timing of these episodes is a little vague. So just be warned spoilers abound, if you're not caught up for some reason.

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><p><em>Two Times a Detective Stop by for Tea<em>

Takeru finds that conversation over tea with detectives always manage to surprise him.

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><p><strong>2. Shoutarou<strong>  
>"How is Ryuu-niisan doing?"<p>

Takeru looked up from his tea at his lunchmate for the day. It was one of the few days that the Shinkengers had decided to spend apart. Mako and Kotoha went to see a museum exhibit that was in town for a few brief weeks. Genta was manning his sushi cart. Takeru wasn't exactly sure where Ryuunosuke and Chiaki went but Chiaki mentioned he needed a new jacket after it was torn in the last fight and it was most likely that Ryuunosuke went to see a kabuki play.

"He's fine," Takeru answered. "I'm surprised you asked to have lunch with me instead of with your brother."

Sitting across from him was Ikenami Shoutarou. They had met once before over a year ago. Instead of the desperate but determined young man, Takeru could see that the man had grown during the time. The young man seemed… more confident, more responsible. Takeru could see the shades of family resemblance to Ryuunosuke and the subtle ways they were related from the way they acted and did things.

For starters Takeru didn't think he would be sitting down for an informal tea ceremony in the middle of the park. But since Shoutarou was an Ikenami, it really wasn't too surprising. Actually if he recalled correctly those few short days that Shoutarou and Philip had stayed in the mansion, nearly all the tea making had been done by Shoutarou.

"I know the rules," Shoutarou muttered. "Family should stay away from personally interacting with the Shinkengers because it could put them at risk, especially when the Gendoshuu have resurfaced."

He pulled a newspaper clipping from his vest pocket. The headline read: "Shinkengers save the day!" with a picture of the Shinkengers defeating a Gendoshuu in black and white. "However doesn't say I can't pay a social visit to you, Tono," Shoutarou said with a grin.

Takeru rolled his eyes. "That's still putting yourself in danger," he pointed out.

"I can take care of myself." There was no overconfidence in Shoutarou's voice, just a simple stating of fact.

"I suppose you can," Takeru agreed. "How is the fight against Dopants and the organization going?"

"Well," Shoutarou started. "We're finally making leeway on who is behind it. Philip is doing fine too before you ask. We gained a new ally." Shoutarou then twitched slightly. "He's a bit like Ryuu-niisan: relentless stubborn."

Takeru chuckled. "Yes, your brother is like that isn't he?"

"You have no idea what it was like growing up with Ryuu-niisan."

"I can imagine."

Shoutarou tilted his head. "You've changed," he said. There was something different about the Takeru. It was as if… Takeru was nicer, softer. When he first met Takeru, the Shiba Head was stern and stoic. Seeing a smile was… rare. Now Shoutarou could tell Takeru was… more relaxed, more comfortable.

Takeru looked up from his teacup. "Hmm?"

"You're half-boiled."

"What?"

Shoutarou grinned. "That's a good thing. You're not as aloof like you were the first time we met. More friendlier if I say so myself. It's nice to see you smile more."

Instantly Takeru's mood soured. "I see…" he said frigidly.

Shoutarou's eyebrow rose. Why… Oh. Yes that. He really needed to stop and think things through. It was starting to become a bad habit that he would say something insensitive. He should work on that.

"You know, just because you're a shadow doesn't make you any less of a lord."

Takeru's eyes widened in shock. "H-how?" No one was supposed to know about that. How… was it possible that Shoutarou knew about it?

Shoutarou leaned forward and poured more tea into Takeru's teacup. "Philip has done a lookup on you. Don't worry he's done it to everyone, nothing to be offended about." Then he looked Takeru in the eye. "Regardless of the truth, you are the lord now and you make a good one at that. If the truth ever comes out, they won't leave you behind, despite of duty. At least Ryuu-niisan won't. "

Takeru didn't say anything. His shoulders just sag and Shoutarou saw a glimmer of the heavy burden that was placed on Takeru's shoulders. It must be hard lying to your vassals, pretending to be someone worthy of their loyalty and knowing that they were putting their lives at risk for a shadow. Shoutarou can't even being to imagine how Takeru felt.

"Right or wrong," Shoutarou mumbled. "You are the one that they, as have I, entrusted our lives to. They will stand by your side. _**I**_will stand by your side if you need me."

"Thank you."

**1. Philip**

While Shoutarou might have a reason to stop by and visit, Philip didn't. So Takeru didn't quite understand why Philip wanted to meet for tea. Unlike Shoutarou who took a step forward in growth, Philip seemed to have taken… a side step somewhere. Instead of the calm but socially awkward man Takeru remembered, this Philip seemed… distraught. There is a sense of lingering happiness but overall, there seemed to be an extreme amount of sadness.

"You… seem different," Takeru started. Something about this meeting filled him with uneasiness.

Philip's lips tugged upward into a small grin. "I can say the same for you Tono," he lightly teased.

Takeru winced at those words. While… he had resolved to deal with issue when it came into light, knowing that Philip and Shoutarou knew of the secret was… unsettling. Philip tilted his head, interpreting Takeru's actions as worry.

"I'm sure they will stay by your side, regardless of what happens," Philip stated. "It might take some time, but they will come back to you. I have found that the bonds you make with people are stronger than most think. I choose Shoutarou after all."

Takeru frowned, confused by Philip's words. "You… choose Shoutarou?" he repeated.

Philip cut into his slice of red velvet cake with his fork. "Hmm," he said. "I had learned that Shoutarou was not my intended partner for W. For a brief while we couldn't transform into W. I had been convinced that Shoutarou wouldn't be able to keep up and… considered switching to the person who intended to be my partner." Philip looked downcast. The cold hard truth was a bitter pill to swallow and there was a part of Philip was still kicking himself for letting himself doubt Shoutarou so much like that.

Then he brightened. "Then a wise person left behind the message that nobody's perfect. I needed Shoutarou as much as he needed me. We are two detectives in one after all." Philip smiled. "I'm sure your vassals feel the same way."

Takeru felt his throat tightened. Even if that turned out not to be case, it hear such confident reassurances gave him comfort.

Philip then pulled out two boxes from his bag. "This one is for you and this one for Ryuunosuke-san," Philip explained. "They're just a small thank you gift for everything you've done."

The uneasiness returned as Takeru accepted the boxes. "I haven't done much," he said.

"You've done more than enough," Philip confirmed. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped before the words left his mouth.

Be wisdom or samurai instinct, Takeru couldn't shake the feeling that something is about to go horribly wrong. "Philip?"

Shoulders shaking, Philip looked Takeru in the eye. "Please take care of Shoutarou," he pleaded. "I know as the Shinkengers you are dealing with your own problems and that Ryuunosuke isn't supposed to see Shoutarou, but… after this... Shoutarou will need all the support he can get."

Takeru leaned forward, hand outstretched to touch Philip. "Philip," he started.

Philip quickly stood up, moving away from Takeru's hand. His chair slid backward away from the table. "I'm sorry," Philip said. His long bangs hid the expression on his face. "I have to return to Fuuto. Thank you for listening to me, Tono-sama."

Not giving Takeru a chance to say anything, Philip gave a bow. "I will entrust Shoutarou to you," he said. Then he turned around and left, leaving Takeru behind with a half-eaten slice of cake and two cold cups of tea.

Takeru looked at Philip's retreating back. He withdrew back his hand, clenching it into a fist. Why did it feel like it was the last time he was going to see that boy?

"What is going on?"

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